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{Third Person POV}
Subaru erged from the Trial Chamber, his consciousness once again anchored in his physical body. The heavy atmosphere of the Sanctuary still lingered, but he could feel a slight shift—one that carried a sense of progress.
Not long after, Emilia stirred awake from where she had been resting. The mont her eyes t Subaru's, she broke into a bright smile and rushed toward him.
"I completed the second trial!" she announced cheerfully, throwing her arms around him in a spontaneous embrace.
Subaru blinked in surprise at the sudden contact. "Congratulations, Emilia... but can you not cling to like that?" he replied with a slight grimace.
Emilia pouted at him like a child scolded for reaching into the cookie jar. "Fine, fine. But I'm going to attempt the third trial right away! I feel like I can really do it this ti!"
There was a fire in her eyes—one of hope and newfound determination. Where the first trial had shaken her, the second had left her almost invigorated. It was clear she was building montum.
Watching her hurry off, Subaru felt a familiar, ethereal presence surround him. He sighed internally as he heard the voice only, he could hear.
'Ugh, I seriously hate her. She reminds of Satella.'
Echidna's voice drifted into his thoughts; her tone laced with contempt. Her soul, incorporeal and invisible to others, floated around him.
"Zero," Emilia called back to him. "Tell Father Geuse not to worry. I'll pass all the trials—I promise!"
Subaru nodded. "Consider it done."
As Emilia vanished into the the third trial chamber, Subaru turned his attention back to Echidna. His expression grew serious.
'Am I the only one who can see you?' he asked her silently, using the ntal link they had developed.
'Yes,' Echidna replied, drifting closer with a smug smile on her face.
'Even the Sword Saint wouldn't be able to perceive ... not unless she gains a Divine Protection that lets her see the dead.'
She circled him like a mischievous wraith before leaning in and wrapping her arms around his neck. The sensation wasn't quite physical—it was more like a ghost of touch, a gentle pressure that tickled the nerves of his soul rather than his skin.
'Are you planning to haunt now?' he asked dryly.
'Haunt is such an ugly word,' she purred.
'Let's say I'm... bound to you. A slave to you, as according to our contract. And to be honest... my maidenly heart finds you quite attractive.'
Her voice whispered in his mind like silk, a calculated attempt to seduce and manipulate.
Subaru rolled his eyes, unamused. Only lunatics like her could say sothing so deranged and sohow think it counted as flirting. But he'd grown used to that kind of insanity. After all, this wasn't the first woman with a few screws loose in her mind that he t.
One such unhinged woman was Ram, the classic case of Stockholm syndro.
'Oh Man, if Roswaal saw how his precious Sensei was clinging to like this, he'd break down sobbing.' He smirked at the thought.
'Eh, he was a fun experint,' Echidna said dismissively. 'But he can't hold a candle to you.'
Typical Echidna—always stroking his ego while plotting how to benefit from his talents. It was obvious she was trying to keep him close by pretending to be lovesick. She wanted to make sure he'd eventually fulfill her selfish ambitions.
'Won,' Subaru thought with as he rolled his eyes in exasperation.
As he exited the ancient stone structure and stepped into the Sanctuary's open grounds, he was quickly greeted by a swarm of familiar presences—his Spirits.
"Father!" Agni, the fiery spirit, flew toward him with unrestrained excitent. Several others followed in close pursuit, surrounding him with warmth and energy.
"This concubine was bored to tears waiting out here! Hmph!" Gloria, the prideful spirit of Yang, huffed with indignation, crossing her arms.
"Betty has waited very patiently for her contractor," Beatrice said with an air of entitlent. "Betty demands a reward, I suppose."
Subaru chuckled softly and began patting Beatrice's head, his expression softening. "You'll all get a reward!"
He took the ti to acknowledge each of his spirits individually, giving them affectionate head pats or light caresses. Despite their grandiose demands, they didn't really care about material rewards—they just wanted his attention, his affection. And Subaru was more than willing to give it to them.
Even Gloria, difficult to please, seed to lt a little under his touch.
From beside him, Echidna observed with keen interest.
'You've really gathered an impressive group of spirits,' she mused, admiration laced with envy.
'Your spiritual affinity is terrifying. With a little more ti, they'll all evolve into Great Spirits.'
She wasn't exaggerating. Great Spirits were not just rare—they were practically legends. Each one held imnse magical power and an eternal lifespan. The fact that Subaru had six elental spirits at his side, five of which were on the verge of evolving, was enough to stir even Echidna's greedy heart.
She had created Puck and Beatrice, but natural spirits possessed a unique wonder all their own.
She watched him interact with them, her scholarly curiosity beginning to burn.
'I want to know everything. Their personalities, their strengths, their origins... To witness the birth of five Great Spirits is a once-in-a-lifeti opportunity.'
But Subaru's next words broke her train of thought.
"If you ever get resurrected," he said sternly, not bothering to use telepathy this ti, "you're going to apologize to Betty. No gas. No excuses."
Echidna's smile froze. The casual arrogance faded from her expression for a fleeting mont.
She opened her mouth as if to reply, but no words ca out. For once, she was silent, however in the end she managed to utter so words.
"Just so you know, the Echidna from 400 years ago was different from ," Echidna said, attempting to defuse Subaru's rising irritation. "I'm a younger version of her—the best fragnt she was able to preserve from her soul."
The mont the other Witches find out about her situation, they would no doubt laugh.
The proud Witch of Greed, who once sought knowledge above all else, had now ended up in the humiliating position of doing her best to please a man—just to ensure her gamble didn't backfire.Only the Witch of Greed would be reckless enough to take such a risk.
"Anyway," Subaru began, shifting the subject. "I have a task for all of you."
He glanced guiltily at Beatrice, who was already pouting in disapproval.
"Emilia has completed her second trial and is currently challenging the third. In the anti, I need three of you to stay behind and protect her—and this place."
"Betty wants to stay with her contractor!" the Great Spirit of Yin protested instantly, rejecting the assignnt without hesitation.
"Hmph! This concubine refuses to babysit that half-elf!" Gloria, the Spirit of Yang, added with a huff. The irony wasn't lost on Subaru—Gloria, technically just a few months old, was mocking soone who had lived for over a century.
Thankfully, not all of them were so difficult.
"If it's your order, Father, I'll do it," Sylphy, the Spirit of Wind, said calmly and obediently.
Subaru had long since learned to recognize the distinct personalities of his spirits:
Aqua was the cheerful, mischievous troublemaker.
Agni, ever fiery and proud, liked to end her statents with a dramatic "Umu."
Gloria was a tsundere through and through—a haughty spirit not unlike a female version of Gilgash, with Subaru playing her Enkidu.
Sylphy was quiet and unwavering, never questioning his commands.
Gaea was the most normal of the bunch—just a kind, responsible girl.
And then there was Beatrice... who was just Beatrice.
"Don't worry, Father. I'll protect her with Sylphy," Gaea chid in reassuringly.
Subaru looked between his dependable daughters and the more troubleso ones, and couldn't help but sigh and shake his head.
(A/N: Damn it, he really beca that Asian parent who compares his kids.)
"That leaves Aqua and Agni. So... which one of you wants to stay behind?" he asked, turning to the last pair.
The two elental opposites looked at each other for a mont.
"Umu. Don't worry, Father. I'll wait here," Agni said with a confident nod.
Aqua giggled in reply. "Thanks, Sis!"
How ironic—Fire and Water were in perfect harmony, while...
Subaru glanced at Beatrice, who was glaring daggers at the glowing orb of golden mana floating nearby.
Yin and Yang, on the other hand, were on the verge of chaos.
"Gloria, Aqua, and Betty—anchor to ," Subaru commanded, his tone firm.
At his order, the three spirits entered his body in a flash of light.
Monts later, he vanished, teleporting away from the Sanctuary.
Before truly departing, he stopped briefly to inform Geuse of Emilia's success, leaving behind a hopeful air in the Sanctuary.
To be continued...
(A/N: I don't think I will upload any chaps this week, my stock is almost empty... I have like six to seven chaps left(Inkstone), I will see if I get ti this week so I can write one or two 10k words chap, even if I don't write I will upload the rest of the chaps next week.
We are officially on the eighth chap of this fic, yes, the eighth.
That's like 80k words raw, and 90k words of proofreaded, uploaded chap.
After proofreading the chaps usually get longer so that's that, so you get more like 13k words per chap.
Also, visit the auxiliary chapter that I have uploaded, it shows Subaru's capabilities.
I will update it after his Authority of Greed is revealed, and any other ability he gains in the next chap.
Just so you know, he will gain an ability in future that will make him gain the title 'Enlightened One' or 'The Great Sage beyond the Heavens'. Have any guess?
The full na of this fic is Re Zero: The Great Sage Beyond The Heavens.)
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